Temporal Distortion
by ForensAnthro
Summary: There's a perfectly scientific rationale behind Janeway's reluctance to admit her feelings for Voyager's executive officer. Fortunately it doesn't last long.
1. Chapter One

_August 2012_

_Author's Note: Please leave a review, I always love to know what you think! _

Chapter One

"Chakotay, if I wasn't so fond of this champagne, I'd accuse you of having an ulterior motive," Janeway chuckled as he refilled her flute for the fifth time, reaching for her glass nonetheless. "And may I inquire as to this occasion for this…formality?" She gestured to the table setting that was artfully decorated with candles and flowers, the latter gathered on a particularly unexciting away mission on which the team had spent five hours helping Neelix search for a very specific root.

"Do you really need an excuse to enjoy champagne, Kathryn?" Chakotay replied, his eyes twinkling.

Janeway giggled a rather un-Janeway-like-giggle and clinked glasses with her companion. "Excellent point."

The command team often dined together, but the feel of this intimate dinner was very different from the atmosphere in the florescent-lit, crowded mess hall. Instead, they had just enjoyed a meal cooked from scratch in Chakotay's quarters (how he managed such cuisine with only a hotplate and a replicator, Janeway never did know), out of uniform, with soft music playing in the background and real champagne on the table. It was more than the setting that was different however; the fact that her executive officer had called her by name, not title, had not escaped Janeway's notice. Nor had the flowers he greeted her at the door with. But what did it mean? And why did this meal between friends feel so much more like a date? Janeway pushed the thought away and took another sip of her drink.

A new song started. There were soft under notes that reminded her of grass in a breeze, and pluckier, melodic notes from a piano-type instrument that were scattered throughout the harmony like flower petals. If Janeway had to guess, she'd say it was something you'd find an impromptu-band performing to the delight of dancing guests at a party in some summer meadow on Betazed prime.

"What lovely music," Janeway said almost dreamily. She could practically feel the evening breeze…

Chakotay put down his glass, stood up and offered her his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

This immediately snapped Janeway out of her reverie. "It'd be my pleasure," she said breathlessly. Janeway took Chakotay's proffered hand, secretly savoring the sensation of his warm hand surrounding hers. Chakotay gently pulled her to her feet and into his arms.

The duo began a silly sort of two-step. "Ow!" Janeway winced as Chakotay stepped on her foot. Chakotay said worriedly, "I'm so sorr-hey!" As he had tried to apologize, his partner had managed to squash _his_ toes. Both began laughing at the absurdity. "I say we blame the clumsiness on the alcohol and not our dancing skills," Chakotay said, his voice lowered conspiratorially. "Agreed," Janeway answered with a brilliant smile.

The music slowed and the command team swayed, fingers intertwined and eyes locked. "Kathryn,"Chakotay began. "I…" he trailed off. Seeing this normally collected man so inarticulate piqued Janeway's curiosity; she examined his familiar face to find longing of an intensity and clarity that amazed her in his expressive, deep brown eyes.

Janeway felt a weakness in her knees and a fluttering around her heart that she knew could not be chalked up to the champagne. She suddenly became hyper aware of all the places their bodies were touching, of how perfectly his fingers filled the spaces in between hers, of the magnetic force that seemed to be pushing them together ever closer…

Chakotay's face was mere inches from hers; it was inappropriate, she was a Starfleet captain, not a lovesick teenager- she should tell him to stop, thank him for the evening and be on her way…and yet her body didn't seem to want to move…

He simply said, "Kathryn."

Then his lips met hers.


	2. Chapter Two

Janeway sat at her desk in her ready room doing busywork. It was true; no matter how angst ridden she felt, there was always plenty of paperwork to distract her.

Remembering why she needed distraction, however, proved to be too much, and she decided to take a mini-break. Janeway sat back from the monitor and took up her cup of coffee. She stared into its' caffeinated depths reflectively, replaying in her minds' eye the events of two nights' ago yet again…

Time seemed to slow as Chakotay lowered his head and kissed Janeway. The pure tenderness of his lips and the way his eyelids had fluttered shut shocked her, but still she did not move. It was he who, after a few seconds (or possibly millennia, thought Janeway) pulled away from her, searched her face for her reaction. Apparently, it had worried him.

_Kathryn? _ He asked, eyebrows crinkling in that endearing way.

_Chakotay,_ she had said, stumbling out of his grip. _Well, that was a delicious dinner. Thank you. I will see you on the bridge tomorrow, then!_ Janeway called behind her, practically bolting out the door.

Janeway had asked herself only one basic question for the rest of the night:

What the hell was wrong with her?!

It was the same that buzzed in her mind like an angry Talaxian wasp now, and she knew that putting things right was the only thing that could chase it away. Janeway drained the rest of her coffee, stood up and leaned against her desk. "Computer, locate Commander Chakotay."

_Dling!_ Came the response noise. Then-"Commander Chakotay is on holodeck 3."

Janeway sighed, mentally preparing herself. This wasn't going to be easy, but she had to put a stop to this before things got out of hand. Mouth set and blue eyes hard, she slapped her commbadge purposely. "Janeway to Chakotay."

Her heart pounded as she waited his response. "Yes, Captain?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner tonight."

_Banishment from your home. Violent torture. The brutal murder of your closest friends. All this you can handle, Chakotay, _he thought to himself, _but being rejected is the singular event that makes you want to crawl in a hole and die. _

It was, as Tuvok would say, illogical.

Although, argued another voice in his head, Janeway wasn't exactly being the epitome of logic, either_. What did that even mean, "thank you for the delicious dinner"?!_ While Chakotay had to admit it had been a while, he didn't remember sprinting out the door as the ideal response to a bold kiss.

Chakotay's first instinct was to, like thousands of generations of men before him, turn to the time-honored tradition of handling rejection: Act like it never happened, hit the gym and then drink (exactly what wasn't important).

However, after 4 hours of scrambling up a mountainside on holodeck 3, Chakotay wasn't so sure his original plan would work. He sat on a rock, resting his hands on his knees and gazing at the beautiful scene below him. The computer had replicated a great canyon in a Vulcan desert, complete with titanic red rocks and a vast sea of sand. The sky above was pink tinged with dark blue and the first stars of unfamiliar constellations were beginning to speckle the dark. The sheer enormity of the landscape reminded him of how small and alone he was, how insignificant his problems were, in the rough universe he inhabited. Chakotay closed his eyes and meditated on this for a while, relief spreading as he finally felt some peace from his inner turmoil.

_But,_ interrupted a small voice in his mind, _when you're with Kathryn, you don't feel so alone. _

He sighed inwardly. The voice was right. Chakotay knew that he would kill or die for his captain. He would do anything to make her happy, and if maintaining a professional working relationship and friendship was what it took, then so be it. He'd just have to man up and direct his love for her towards his loyalty, not her heart.

Suddenly, Chakotay's commbadge rang out. The captain was inviting him to dinner! Chakotay guessed she had some sort of reconciliation on the agenda- this would be his chance to tell her he had made a mistake, that he had too much champagne, he didn't mean it. Chakotay stood up- he was going to set things right!

_But first,_ he thought, looking down at his sweat-soaked t-shirt, he'd need a shower.


	3. Chapter Three

Chakotay paused just in front of the doors to the captain's quarters. He wore a simple beige knitted sweater, in contrast to the more-formal dinner jacket had sported the last time he had dined with his commanding officer. The memory of the look on Janeway's face after he had kissed her burned, and he pushed it away; that was why he was here, to set things right! Chakotay took a swift breath and entered.

Janeway's quarters were bigger, being the captain's, but still mostly Starfleet standard. A few decorations collected on their travels scattered the rooms, one of Chakotay's wood carvings in a particularly prominent spot on the windowsill, he noted with more pride than it merited. A holo-photo was perched on the other side of the window. It was a snapshot of the whole crew at Neelix's last Prixin party; Chakotay's arm was around Janeway's waist, hers on his shoulder, and she was laughing quietly at some forgotten joke he was whispering to her. How happy they'd looked- why'd he ruin it?!

Chakotay snapped back into the moment. The room's occupant was settled on the sofa. Janeway was casually dressed and barefoot. She placed the book she had been reading on the coffee table and stood up. "Chakotay," she began warmly.

"We need to talk," Chakotay interrupted harshly.

"Alright then." Janeway sat right back down, one eyebrow raised. "Let's talk."

Chakotay forwent his usual armchair and sat next to Janeway on the sofa. "I don't mean to be rude- it's just, before you say anything, there's something I want you to know." He paused, collecting his thoughts, and then went on. "I was out of line. I made a mistake, and I'm sorry. I hate to put you in this position. Let's just go back to the way things were." Janeway watched him, brow wrinkled and a slight frown on her face. Chakotay panicked internally- again, this is not how he had pictured things going. "I'll go now. I'm sorry to have ruined our friendsh-"

Chakotay was interrupted by Janeway flinging her arms around his neck and claiming his mouth in a passionate kiss. He froze for a few seconds, then relaxed and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

It started off sweet and sensual but quickly escalated into something animalistic, passionate, desperate; his hand slid up to let his fingers become entangled in her silky hair, his bruised-feeling lips were soothed by her plush ones…she moaned into his mouth but still, they swayed on, Chakotay beginning to feel stirrings of a deeper want- until finally, Janeway broke away, panting.

"Do you mind if I ask what took you so long?" Chakotay breathed, nuzzling her lower lip. Janeway rested her forehead on his. "Let's chalk it up to…temporal distortion," she murmured playfully. "Sometimes it takes a while for the fabric of the space-time continuum to catch up."

Chakotay smiled, bringing his palm up to her cheek affectionately. "Agreed."

_Did you like it, love it, want to kill it with fire?! Please let me know! :)_


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